The Scandal You Started, page 45
Four heads swung from Candreas to Dominic.
“Well?” Bentley said with Flyn next to him. “Which is it? Are you dying or are you leaving?”
“I’m not dying.”
“So you are leaving?” Flyn asked. “When? And why? Have you informed anyone? Mary? Lady Norland? Solomon, Art, Lady Patricia? Do any of them know?”
Dominic’s gaze fell to the dark wood table in front of him. “No, I have not informed my family yet. Nor do I know when or if I can leave.”
“But why do you wish to leave?” Severin said. “Are you being threatened? Is someone after you?”
“I am the one who is after someone.”
All his friends, even Candreas, puffed out their shoulders like war-ready warriors.
“Who is he?” Bentley demanded. “Let us help you get to him.”
“She,” Dominic corrected with a wistful smile.
Bentley blinked dumbly, then whipped around to glance at Flyn as if he were confirming he’d heard correctly.
Raven chuckled. “What is wrong with you, Thorney? Why on Neves are you after a poor wench?”
“Exactly,” Severin said. “Leave her alone. Neves knows whose hands she’s already suffered at. And what exactly has she done that you’re trying to leave to find her?”
Raven’s ruby-red eyes shone with love and sympathy. “I am learning more from my pretty, expectant wife every day how hard women have it in this world. It is not fair that she must suffer from a bad case of swollen feet. One day, that woman you are after might have swollen feet too. Think of that, Thorney. Have some mercy and leave her alone.”
A puff of tired laughter shook Dominic’s shoulders, Severin’s lips curled in disgust, and Flyn was practising a moment of fatherly patience as he pinched his nose under his spectacles.
“You are bloody chuckle-headed, the both of you,” Bentley ground out and threw a hand towards Dominic. “He’s not going after her to hurt her. He is in love with her!”
“What?” Raven exclaimed in laughing delight.
Severin clapped his hanging jaw together and groaned. “Not you too.”
Dominic’s friends had had different reactions to hearing that he’d lost his heart.
“Why the bloody woods are you sulking here for?” Raven had snapped. “Go after her now.”
“Love is a fool’s game, and you’ve turned yourself into a fool, Norland,” Severin had grumbled. “I mean, look at you. You are falling apart. Forget her and save yourself from this nonsense.”
Whereas Bentley and Flyn had asked more questions, taking the pragmatic approach of trying to understand why he had to leave for the most part to be with Rayna.
Yet, all of them, even Candreas and, reluctantly, Severin too, had encouraged him not to let her go if that was what he truly wanted. And that encouragement had reignited his motivation to overcome the impossible.
Dominic had walked into Mary and Flyn’s ball that evening with Mother Penny and Patricia on his arms, his head held high, and tentative confidence pumping through his blood.
He hadn’t been clueless to the whispers behind fans and subtly probing questions. Everyone in attendance was wondering if his withdrawal from society the previous Season would extend to the new one too. But he didn’t let it bother him as he played the poised marquess and proud big brother to the hostess as he talked his way through the crowd of guests.
Right up until the entrance of Lady Claire Ermina and her father, the Earl of Greymond.
His heart and stomach had both tried to flee his body upon hearing her name, his feet wanting to move with them. But as if she’d known he’d try to escape at some point, Mother Penny held his arm in a surprisingly strong latch.
He’d been trapped, forced to watch the woman he’d married in another life walk through the crowd, greeting the stream of eligible gentlemen and judgy matrons that had flitted to her.
She was a handsome woman. Tall and pretty. Her coiffured hair a silvery-blonde, her skin porcelain, and her eyes a sharp, ruby-red. Her posture and gaze had a controlled politeness about them, but he caught glimpses of sass and mischief whenever a gentleman clearly said something that piqued her.
In those moments, Dominic had understood why that version of him had married Lady Claire.
She was like Rayna.
Too clever for the bird-witted men around her who thought women weren’t meant to have ideas beyond marriage and children. Too much of a challenge for them to manage. But she wasn’t meant to be managed. She was meant to be with someone who would nurture her spirit.
The nausea had returned with a vengeance after that, with an anchor of guilt descending through it. The second Mother Penny had made the mistake of letting go of him to greet an old friend of hers, he’d bolted from his sister’s ball.
He’d rushed out into the garden under the early March night’s sky, thrown up what little he’d eaten for lunch in a pot of small, white flowers, and then snuck over the back wall before jogging down two streets to get home.
Obviously, his absence at dinner hadn’t gone unnoticed by his family, or anyone really, and the next morning, Mary stormed into the Norland residence with child and husband in tow to demand answers.
“Mama angry,” Fredrick, the two-year-old Viscount Vincent and heir to the Flyntward Earldom, said to Art, cracking the tense silence in the cream and gold morning room.
Patricia snickered behind her fingers, sharing a sofa with a lounging Art, who held green-eyed Fredrick on his lap. Solomon, Patricia’s twin, grinned down at the floor, while sitting next to him, Flyn watched his wife pace with a mixture of concern and amusement. Candreas stood by the door, sneaking glances at Patricia, and Mother Penny sighed beside Dominic.
Art clamped his twitching lips together and leaned into the little viscount. “She is rather, isn’t she?” he muttered. “Uncle Evie is in big trouble.”
Mary suddenly stopped pacing and flashed a warning glare at Art. “You are in just as much trouble, Art. But I will get to that once I have dealt with him.”
Art pinkened as he gulped and slid back in his seat, and Mary whirled away.
Two years his junior, Art Louis Hussain Thorne had the same sharp, shadowed jaw as Dominic, but with their father’s brown eyes. Solomon Dylan Thorne, like Patricia, had dark hair and pale brown eyes. While Mary Alexandra Prince looked just like Mother Penny, with her light hair and gentle eyes. Except, there was nothing gentle about the way she was scowling at Dominic.
“Explain yourself, Evie,” his sister ordered. “Now.”
“I apologise, Mary,” he said earnestly. “I was feeling unbearably unwell and left for some fresh air. But by the time I realised it, I had walked home. I truly do not know what came over me.”
He didn’t think it’d do him any good to admit he’d vomited in her garden, so he kept that part to himself.
“Oh, is that so?” she said sarcastically, cocking a rounded hip. “Because Hattington was sure he saw you escape over the garden wall.”
Dominic clenched his teeth, his cheeks burning, as all eyes settled on him.
Damn you, Bentley.
“You did what?” Art asked, gaping, as Patricia threw her head back and laughed, clapping her hands joyfully.
“Evie,” Mother Penny uttered in disbelief.
“I did not wish to be seen,” Dominic said through gritted teeth.
Art hooted with Patricia, both of them tumbling into each other and grabbing a squealing Fredrick as he jostled on Art’s lap.
Mary crossed her arms over her chest and scrutinised Dominic through narrowed eyes. “So your escape had nothing to do with the woman you have fallen in love with?”
All laughter suddenly halted, and the room went silent.
Dominic rubbed his jaw from side to side and slid a glare towards his friend. But Flyn had become rather interested in the pattern decorating the fabric sofa.
“So it is because of a woman,” Mother Penny muttered.
He swallowed and lowered his lashes to hide away from her searching gaze.
She placed a gentle hand on his knee. “What is her name?”
His family all seemed to lean in curiously, except Flyn and Candreas, who’d heard it all the previous day.
“Miss Rayna Faez,” he mumbled.
“Who is she? How did you meet her?” Mother Penny then asked.
Dominic recited the same half-truths he’d told his friends. “She is a historian from the northern Region of Olkmond. I was with Mr Harris when her hired coach’s axle broke nearby. We saw it from the hill where we were and went to help. She was with her uncle and cousin. They had come down to Tanbridge for some work and were returning to Olkmond. She was…”
His lips curled as images of the first time he’d met her in the lab flooded his mind. “She was beautiful. And angry.” He chuckled. “So angry. She wanted neither mine nor Mr Harris’s help, though her uncle was more inclined to take it. I walked her and her cousin to the Tailroad Inn while Mr Harris stayed behind with her uncle and the coachman. She had a quick-witted reply to everything I said and rolled her eyes whenever I smiled at her.”
He lifted his lashes to meet Mother Penny’s glassy stare. “It took several hours for the coach to be repaired, and when it came time for her to leave…I could not bear to see her go. So I hired a horse and insisted on travelling with them a bit further. By the time we reached the edge of the next region three days later…I realised I had fallen in love with her.
“I asked her to marry me. But she said we were too different. That she would be miserable without her work, that I would regret leaving high society behind for her. I said we could spend our time between both places, but she said I would be happier marrying someone else.”
Hurt blocked his throat, turning his last few words hoarse.
“Oh, Evie,” Mother Penny cooed and wrapped her arms around him.
He pressed his face into her shoulder and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Bloody woods, is he weeping?” he heard Art whisper loudly.
“You miss her terribly, don’t you?” his stepmother muttered.
“Yes. So very much.”
“Will she agree to marry you if you go find her?”
“I will not return until she does.”
“So that is why you have made me your proxy and given all the books to Solomon,” Art said, placing a restless Fredrick on his feet so he could run to his mother. “You wish to leave.”
Dominic pulled away from Mother Penny and moved his attention around the room. “I do not intend to give up being marquess. I cannot and do not wish to do that, but…”
Mother Penny smiled, sad and knowing, her eyes brimming with tears. “You were ever so young when you became marquess. I know it was hard for you, but you did a wonderful job protecting your siblings and making your own mark.” She cupped his cheek in one hand, her lips wobbling. “But for as long as I can remember, you have always been flying across fields on horseback as if you were chasing even the slightest taste of freedom. You would much prefer living in the world beyond, wouldn’t you?”
The back of his nose stung as he heard Rayna’s words in his ears and dreaded what his father was thinking, looking down upon him. “I fear she was right,” he croaked. “I cannot leave it behind. And if I try to, I will regret it. Neither will marrying her and convincing the ton to accept her be easy. It may only cause pain for everyone involved.”
“But you are not leaving it behind, are you?” Mother Penny said with the confidence he was lacking. “You will come visit us, and in those moments, even in the ones you are not with us, you will still be the Marquess of Norland. Hopefully, a happier one too, if you are with her. And when they see that, when they see how you love her, how many of our friends give her importance, the rest of the ton will accept her, willingly or unwillingly. But more importantly, she is most welcome in our family, even if she does not wish to stay here all the time.”
Unable to speak, Dominic turned his head and laid a heavy kiss to his stepmother’s palm.
“I would have agreed to it sooner, you know,” Art then said, sitting forward. “If you had told me about Miss Faez, I would have happily agreed to stand in for you months ago.” He shrugged. “It is not as if I have much else to do. I may as well help you in what little way I can.” He grinned, looking so much like their father. “But I promise I will not go near the accounts. I will leave them solely to Solomon and the solicitors. Do not worry about that.”
“It is not that simple,” Dominic said, though he smiled at his brother. “For me to ask you to take over my duty when I am not here, it would mean asking you to give up on your own aspirations.”
Patricia scoffed. “What aspirations could Art possibly have other than sleeping in ’til three after noon every day?”
Mary chuckled, while Art glared at Patricia. “When I find an aspiration, I am sure I will manage to balance committing to both.”
“And what about when you marry?” Dominic challenged. “What will your wife think of you acting as marquess without the benefit of an actual title?”
“Ah.” Art seemed to choke on the sound as his face went red and his eyes flew to Mary.
Mary smirked like a cat that got the cream as her son played around her legs. “Well, I suppose this is a good time to disclose what Flyn and I caught Art doing in our study last night.”
“Mary,” Art growled.
“What?” Mother Penny perked up. “What did your brother do?”
“He was kissing Lady Claire Ermina against the bookcase,” Mary practically sang.
Mother Penny spluttered in shock, and Solomon’s mouth dropped to the floor as Patricia’s squeals of laughter filled the room again.
Dominic was hearing it all through water, slow and gurgled, as his pulse throbbed through his stunned body.
“What…” he somehow managed to breathe out. “What did you say?”
Mary pointed a finger at Art. “He compromised Lady Claire, Lord Greymond’s only daughter.”
Lady…Lady Claire. Lady Claire Ermina. The Lady Claire Ermina!
Mother Penny shot up from the sofa, her hands balled in fists. “Art Louis Hussain Thorne, what the bloody damn woods have you done?”
Patricia gasped. “Mama! That was…brilliant. Say it again.”
Art scampered up from the settee, backing away from their stepmother with his palms held up. “I have not compromised her—”
“Had anyone else caught you kissing her, you would have ruined her.”
“Perhaps you should ask Mary and Flyn why they caught me kissing her!” He gestured desperately towards the earl and countess. “They were attempting to make you another grandchild at their own ball.”
Mary blushed and glared, while Flyn rubbed a hand over his grin.
“They are married. They may make children whenever and wherever they wish to. You and Lady Claire cannot,” Mother Penny snapped.
“I wish to marry her!”
Silence ran around the room the way Fredrick ran between his mother and father.
Art sighed heavily, dropping his hands before raking them through his hair. “Bloody woods, I care for her. I am in love with her.” He threw a hand towards the door. “I have been trying to court her since last June, and she cares for me—I know she does, she has admitted that much—but she is damned set on refusing my offer of marriage.” He scowled at Mary. “So yes, I kissed her. But my intentions are honourable.”
“I wish to be kissed with honourable intentions,” Patricia mumbled with a pout, her eyes on Candreas, who immediately lowered his gaze to the floor, but no one else seemed to hear her.
Dominic did, and really, he should have warned her against kissing a gentleman before marriage, but his mind would not, could not veer away from the news about Art and Lady Claire.
With vibrating limbs, he stood from the sofa, and everyone went quiet around him. Art seemed to think Dominic was angry and began spouting in his own defence.
“I–I swear, Vander, I did not compromise her. I will admit I was trying to seduce her, but she gave me her permission. I would never have gone further than a kiss—bloody woods, do not break my nose—oomph.”
Dominic crushed his brother in an embrace.
He’d done it. Avoiding Lady Claire had worked! Art had fallen for her instead. Now the biggest reason keeping Dominic from returning to Rayna was fixed. Finally.
“Uh…” Art said, his hands hanging in the air. “What is this?”
A chuckle flooded out of Dominic, real and happy for the first time in nine months. “A hug, you fool.” He patted his brother’s broad back. “You will need many more of these while you try to win the hand of a woman who is set against marriage.”
Art relaxed into his embrace. “Right. Miss Faez.” He raised his brows when Dominic pulled back. “How do you intend to convince her? Maybe I can attempt something similar.”
Dominic grinned and echoed the words of a wise man. “Do not try to change her mind about marriage. Only show her you are different, that your love is different. Protect her, but do not try to control her. You will never gain her trust doing so. The only way to earn it is by supporting her dreams and loving her fully. Only then will she be willing to meet you halfway.”
“Flyn is nodding his head in approval,” Art mumbled.
Dominic glanced over his shoulder and caught the impressed glint behind his good friend’s spectacles. “Very well said, Norland,” Flyn said, wrapping an arm around his wife and child.
After smiling at his friend, he faced his brother again. “I only ask that you hurry,” he said. “Miss Faez’s uncle wrote to me and informed me that she intends to board a ship to Jahandar at the end of May. If I do not reach her before then, I may lose her forever. But I must see you settled before I can leave.”
Art’s shoulders spread as his expression grew serious, but it was Mother Penny’s voice that filled the room. “Right.” She tipped her chin up, appearing as strong and as regal as a queen. “It seems we have two women to court. Urgently.”
Chapter 55
Rayna
